Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-28

No ar Texas? The ferrynan informed US
hat the first house was % miles distant,
a svsrv mace intervening had been burned
10 General Steel. He whispered to me
,Sat NV companion was q deserter from an
Arkansas regiment going home, and that /
raeded his company on the road.
This was about 1 O'Clock in the morning.
The Arkansas gentleman and myself struck
art IN fir. style. and so anxious were We
80 Zach the twenty-five mile house that
we swan creeks-no bridges In mat
county all having been burned. In FACT
we were panic-stricken, and anxious TO
meat come human being other than q jay
bawker. We made good time, and Ivy Z
O'CLOCK that morning reached our logged
for destination.
IA we peared the gate not less than q
dozen vicious dogs came pell-mell to greet
ne. / Skinned up q sapling, and on look
inc around discovered my Arkansas friend
sitting on top of one of the large gate posts.
Tbe old farmer, who had all the appear
once of n iayhawker himself, soon came to
onr relief. We were so worn out by our
terrific tramp that after ~partaking Of a
tolerable breakfast We remained there un-
til the next morning We couldn't have
walked another mile that day. My Ar
kansas friend hadn't cent Of filthy lucre,
cd wbep | informed him that | had
enough Confederate money, no matter
rhat the charges, TO carry US both through,
his month spread from ear to ear, and an
angelic smile o~verspread his innocent
conntenance that caused me a ~pleasurable
sonsatIcn, There was the look upon his
face which limners gave to the beloved
disciples"
"a fellow. feeling makes us wondrous
kind Our long, lonely walks amt con
yersatious on innumerable subjects created
a brotherly feeling between that msn and
myself that can never he eilaced. often
compare he and 10 Virgil and Dante
walking through Inferno, especially when
some devilish- looking iayhawker had stop
ned us, but finding us such pitiable objects
would allow us to proceed.
We had travelled nearly 200 miles to-
g.tber when he one morning informed me
that was our last day together, rs he lived
only about 90 miles further on, but that II
7 sbould stay that night with him he
would give me the best his poor shanty
afforded.
That evening ii the pine forest, IA we
trndped along. the thunder, lightning and
rain were terrific, and j reflected how l
would feel were | alone in such q lonesome,
God -forsaken country. | felt the need OF
that poor Arkansas soldiers company.
Near dark he exclaimed, II live right down
this path"
On travelling a few hundred yards we
came upon a dilapidated shanty, with no
clearing around it, and containing one
room below, with an attic above. HIS peo-
ple consisted of q brother and s~ister-in-law;
merely looking M and eXclaiming: why,
John. YOU back again." No h~andshaking
or other demonstrations Of joy after a sepa-
ration of three years.
Wasn't this a greeting for a poor fellow
who had been battling for his country 40
long? We were drenched with rain, anu
after partaking of n slice Of bacon u q
corn dodgcr my partner and myself climbed
A ladder up TO the attic, where we rested
our weary frames on IA pile OF straw-per-
hans the same straw he had slept upon be-
fore going to the war.
| mentally calculated. Great God, how
can such things be? On departing | fe.t
such a deep pity for that poor boy that !
requested him to walk a piece with me. !
pulled ont my roll of Confederate money,
and telling him that he might need even
such poor money az that, handed him
several $50 bills and babe him goOdby.
When ! turned back to get a last look ut
him this hard Arkansas deserter was weep.
ing like n child.
Although | felt such friendship and con-
fdence in that poor deserter never en-
lightened him AZ to the hidden wealth in
side of my alligator boots. In fact meyer
took my boots off during the journey.
Many long, weary miles, through lone
some woods, did ! trudge onward by my
self after leaving that poor soldier, and
when at last | hove in sight of Shreveport,
f~ootsore and hungry, my heart went up in
thankfulness TO the Great Creator. No
more walking now. Tomorrow the stage
driver will call out "all aboard, " and |,
with money in plenty, and anticipating a
welcome at the end of my hard old row. "
will soon reach Navasota, the terminus OF
the Houston & Texas Central railway,
where | will board the cars and reach old
Houston in q few short hours.
Arriving NJ houStOh HI ripnt hitcf an
absence of several years was calculated to
make the heart glad indeed, especially to
one who had been raised in the place. I'M
~agination cannot conceive the contrast be-
tween east and west of the Mississippi.
| had been accust med to seeing soldiers
in rags, and many of them b%arefooted,
brigadier and major generals dressed in
jeans clothing, with nothing TO indicate
their rank. Here officers were dressed in
magnificent suits ofgray and ladies parad,d
the streets decked out in silks and satins.
Theatres open every night. Being in rags
myself the first thing in order was TO get a
suit ofclothin2, and here is what they cost
Cloth enough to make a gray uniform, ST.
800; pair of boots, $500; hat, $500, and
other things in proportion. But this was
in Confederate money.